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Thursday, June 2, 2011

This Week in International Disciplines:
From the USEF Communications DepartmentDressage
Dressage preparations for the Pan American Games continued as Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I competition took place at CDIs across the country. Jan Ebeling swept the small tour at CDI Flintridge with Rosenzauber 8, scoring 70.263% in the Prix St Georges, 70.702% in the Intermediaire I and 70.292% in the Freestyle.

At the CDI Lexington, Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU dominated the Small Tour. They scored 71.008% in the Prix St. Georges and 76.624% in the Intermediaire I. Claire Darnell won the Intermediaire I Freestyle with a score 73.458%.

In the small tour at CDI Allentown in New Jersey, Canadian Ashley Holzer took the top spot in the Prix St. Georges, but Cesar Parra, the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Champion, was second on Grandioso with a score of 70.395%. Holzer continued her winning ways in the Intermediaire I, where Endel Ots took second with Toscano on a score of 69.430%. Parra then went on to win the Freestyle with a score of 72.417% Holzer also won the Grand Prix on her veteran Pop Art, local rider Lauren Sammis was second with Sagacious HF with a score of 67.851%. They repeated the one-two placings in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Melissa Taylor was third behind Sammis in the Grand Prix but led the victory celebration in the Grand Prix Special with Schumacker Solyst on a score of 65.792%.

Julian Stiller rode Chapel Amble to a place third finish in the CIC3*at the Subaru Houghton International Horse Trials in England. The Vermont native is now based in the UK. She added one rail in the show jumping and 4.8 time faults to her dressage score of 50.8. Australian Paul Tapner won with Stormhill Michael and Dirk Schrade was second on Hop and Skip for Germany. Information is available here: http://www.houghtoninternational.co.uk/

Jumping

The FEI Nations Cup Series stopped in Italy this week and the U.S picked up ribbons at CSIO5* Rome. Ashlee Bond got the week rolling for the U.S. by placing second with Cadett 7 in the Trofeo Impresa Roma, less than a second off Rodrigo Pessoa's winning pace. Rich Fellers followed that up with a sixth place effort of his own in the Trofeo Mercedes Benz Roma on McGuinness. Both classes were on Thursday. The U.S. then put forth a seventh place effort in the Nations Cup on Friday, Margie Engle led the way with just one rail in the second round on Indigo.

On Saturday, Bond was fifth in the Trofeo Unicredit - a 1.40m Speed and Handiness competition with Chivas Z, Engle was also fifth in the Bis Unire, a Young Horse competition, with Starnato. This pair was 10th in another young horse class on Sunday and Engle rounded out the week with an eighth place effort on Indigo in the featured Grand Prix: G.P. Loro Piana Città di Roma.

The next stop for the Nations Cup Series is in St. Gallen, Switzerland, June 2-5.

At the CSIYO Reims in France the Young Riders and Junior Riders represented the U.S. in winning fashion. Thursday was an extremely successful day for the U.S. riders in preparation for the Nations Cup. Catherine Pasmore won convincingly on Van David in CSIO YR PX Conseil General de la Marne over her two teammates, Karen Polle on With Wings, who was second, and Jessica Springsteen on Cincinatti La Silla who was third. Reed Kessler and Onisha finished seventh, Richard Neal on Transmission was ninth and Pasmore was 10th on her second horse My Boy. In the CSIO Juniors 1.25m Meg O'Mara was third with Smeagle.

The Young Riders were then second in Nations Cup, Catherine Pasmore led off the U.S. team, rebounding from a 13-fault first round on My Boy to improve to eight faults in round two. Karen Polle rode With Wings in the second position to a six-fault effort in the first round but only picked up one time fault in round two. Reed Kessler had the best result, jumping two double clear rounds on Onisha which kept the momentum going and then Jessica Springsteen picked up a time fault in each round - but also added a rail in the second round on Vornado van den Hoendrik. The 16-fault effort left the team second behind the Netherlands who finished on nine faults.

Kessler was fourth in Sunday's Young Rider Grand Prix on Onisha and Meg O'Mara ended the week in France on the highest of notes - not only did she place fourth in the Junior Grand Prix with Sinatra IV, she won the overall Leading Junior Rider Award for her performances throughout the week.

Cody Auer had three top 10 placings in Belgium at CSI2* Neeroeteren riding Timo. He was eighth in the 1.40m qualifier for the Grand Prix, tenth in another 1.40 m class (out of 68 starters) and then 10th with in the Grand Prix on Sunday with a four fault effort. Results are available here: http://www.dewarre.be/_ln/internationaal.php?deel=archief&id=51

Laura Kraut and Lauren Hough represented the U.S. at CSI3* Norten Hardenberg in Germany and Kraut kicked off the week with a ninth place finish on Dina Evita in the Preis des Göttinger Tageblattes Int. Springprüfung. Hough was then sixth with Arizona Pie in the Preis des Göttinger Tageblattes Int. Springprüfung the following morning. Hough and her veteran mare Casadora finished third in the Preis der Hardenberg-Wilthen AG Int. Springprüfung mit Siegerrunde, also on Friday. On Saturday, Kraut had the second fastest four-fault effort in the 1.50m Speed Class to finish fifth on Teirra in the Gothaer Trophy Int. Springprüfung mit Siegerrunde and Hough rounded out the weekend with a ninth place finish on Sunday in the Finale im Tag der Südniedersächsischen Wirtschaft Int. Gruppen-Springprüfung mit Siegerrunde on Arizona Pie.

Bliss Heers was seventh in the European Youngster Cup with La Jolie with a clear effort in Thursday's class for Under 25 riders.